


On Souls and Similarity

by helloyesIamtrash



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High, The Unsleeping City
Genre: Advice, Alternate Realities, Basically its the unsleeping city characters giving advice to the bad kids, Campaign: Fantasy High (Dimension 20), Campaign: The Unsleeping City, Fluff, Found Families, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Soulmates, dimension 20 - Freeform, it might hurt a bit, just wholesome content, kind of, sorry - Freeform, they save them from any bad rolls they have nightmare-wise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21601012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloyesIamtrash/pseuds/helloyesIamtrash
Summary: The Bad Kids are having Nightmare problems and they all know deep down that Tracker's ritual can't protect them for forever, but everything changes when Kristen finds herself in a land where snow floats up into the sky and a strange gray baby mistakes her 'aura' for someone named Pete's.Find out how worlds (and campaigns) collide, and the little snippets after of how low rolls are saved by encounters with their counterparts from the Unsleeping City.
Relationships: Adaine Abernant & Rowan Berry, Bruce "Kugrash" Kugrich & Riz Gukgak, Fabian Aramais Seacaster & Kingston Brown, Figueroth Faeth & Sofia Bicicleta, Gorgug Thistlespring & Ricky Matsui, Kristen Applebees/Tracker, Pete the Plug & Kristen Applebees, Ricky Matsui/Esther Sinclair, Zelda Donovan/Gorgug Thistlespring
Comments: 35
Kudos: 117





	1. Into Nod

Ever since the night before they departed on their journey to find the Nightmare King’s crown, no one has really gotten a good night’s sleep. Even with Tracker’s efforts, shifts taken, and capable people on all sides of the large party, it was hard to fall asleep. The thought of being taken over like Fig had, or being dragged into a mirror like Riz… Well. It was hard enough as is. 

Kristen was usually up anyways, for one of two reasons. One, Tracker. The way more fun, adorable, far too hot for her own good reason. She was the best. Having a girlfriend was the best. She grounded her in all of the insanity that was going on, plus her little growls that sometimes happened in her sleep were the cutest things! The second reason was less fun - the uncertainty of Yes? She didn’t know what she wanted anymore. Everything was a lie. Helio was a douche, Yes! Was completely obnoxious and super not what she wanted even if she literally created him to be her new god, and Yes? In the end wouldn’t give her the certainty that the other two would have given her. She wished there was an option for her to take that was all pre-laid out with no bloody histories or weird cults or followings that she had to create from scratch. Y’know. Like a religion she could love that already existed. But she had looked through On The Subject of World Religions countless times, and even if the concepts sounded interesting for some of them, they didn’t seem… real? It felt more like reading cool stories instead of this is it, this is what I want to follow. It’s why she hadn’t made up her mind yet!

To be honest, night is when she felt the most numb. Alcohol and friends and a girlfriend, in the end, were great, don’t get her wrong - but they didn’t make it go away forever.

So one night, while she lay awake with Tracker lightly snoring at her side, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to something. Whatever was out there that might listen. 

Send me something good. Something that shows me this is all worth it, that maybe I’ll find something I can believe in. I want to believe again. 

Eventually, she drifted off into a tense slumber, but this… this felt weird. Like, weirder than usual. Kristen was used to more than a few sex dreams and nightmares and most things in between, but this felt like she had taken some weird drugs. Her eyes opened and she was suddenly floating mid-air, her hair floating and weightless around her as she looked down at the craziest city she’s ever seen. It was huge and multicolored with vibrant buildings and relatively empty streets. But the light snow it had seemed to float upwards - it drifted up past her and into the sky. There were thousands of stars compared to the two she might have seen out traveling with her party, and with a slight start, her eyebrows furrowed. Was this a trick from the Nightmare King? Fig said hers felt like living her best life as a rockstar, but vaguely noticing real life going on around her as her body was possessed. After a minute of focusing, she couldn’t sense anything like that. 

The only important thing she noticed was her chest, which was glowing a beautiful purple color. That was weird. She thought if her chest would glow, it would be rainbow or something gay like that. 

Something inside of her surged as she was reminded of her friends and how she could be doing something awful to them right now, and she felt like they were giving her hope and strength. An… advantage? The word came to her mind for some reason. Huh. Weird. So she floated lower into the city to try and see if she could sense what this place was.

Once she got lower, her feet were hovering over the misty ground, watching as crocodiles with wings cackled inside of a diner, sloshing their drinks together and talking in some language that maybe Adaine could understand. A gaseous form that looked vaguely humanoid passed right through her as she went, grumbling something their breath. Her reflection looked like a funhouse mirror, and WOW, she couldn’t hold back anymore - nightmare or not, this was cool as hell and she wanted to enjoy it, dammit!

The grin that she had been fighting back split open onto her face as she whooped and zoomed all over the city, exploring it from back up at a bird’s eye view. That is, until a voice from behind her gasped and suddenly, she was staring at the moon. Except the moon had a face. And that face was kind of hot. 

“Oh my Nod! Are you real, hon?” She crooned, her starry eyes wide as she gazed at Kristen, who was suddenly very aware of the fact that she had Tracker. They talked about how they can know that other girls are pretty and it was okay to think that, it wasn’t cheating to think that someone was pretty. They had that talk multiple times, in fact. But she was taken! 

“I have a girlfriend,” She blurted, to the moon’s great amusement. Oh. Wait. That was for sure not what she asked. “Uh. Yes?” Ooh, wait, shit, shouldn’t have said it like that. Mildly triggering. Yikes.

“Goodness, that can’t be right - you’re human! Humans come and go all the time, but…” She started to say, but then she was quickly cut off by a whooshing of wind and Kristen could sense that something was there with her, now. She whirled around and there in the air with her, out of nowhere, was a child. It was small and gray and it looked at her with big, black eyes that looked incredibly surprised. Most importantly, she could feel the power radiating off of it. It looked down at Kristen’s glowing chest, and reached out for the light. 

Okay, hold on. No. 

“FUCK no! Only Tracker can touch those! Jeez!” She exclaimed with an awkward laugh as she backed up with a million thoughts rushing through her head, and the child looked up at her inquisitively. She suddenly got the overwhelming sense that this child knew something about her, or at least… recognized something in her. Apparently, she felt familiar. The small ask she had before drifting off came back to her, and her eyes widened. “Are… are you my new god?”

Its hand retracted and its tiny brows furrowed. “I’m not a god, I’m a kid. I thought you were Pete. You have Pete’s aura. Who are you, and what are you doing in my realm?” It asked, and while it sounded demanding, it definitely had a note of petulance in it. Kristen deflated a bit, because she was really banking on a new discovery there.

“I dunno, I- I fell asleep! What do you mean by aura, anyways? Is that a weird way of vibe checking me? Are you the Nightmare King? Is Pete the Nightmare King?” She asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing as she gave the child a once over. But as soon as she said the Nightmare King, the child’s eyes widened and it floated away a few feet, something racing across its face that she couldn’t read and then suddenly, the child vanished into nothing. It returned in the blink of an eye, hiding behind the legs of a man who looked very disgruntled, maybe just as disgruntled as she was. 

He couldn’t have been older than mid-twenties, with dirty brown hair, a slight mustache and, weirdly, a cowboy hat. His eyes were deep-set and, while bright, looked incredibly tired. Like he hadn’t slept in months. Or stayed up with coffee. Or drugs. Did the kid call in a drug dealer? Was this an elaborate meeting to buy snuff powder? All of her thoughts of asking Fig if she met any weird cowboy-hat dealers when she was on tour suddenly vanished as she realized his chest was glowing, just like hers was. In the exact shade of purple.  
“Nod, what the hel- heck? Kingston was about to fix whatever this weird purple shi- stuff… is…” He trailed off sheepishly as he tried to censor himself in front of the kid. He just seemed confused until their eyes met and why did she feel such an ache in her chest who was this guy why was she seeing memories of-

Oh. 

Looking into his eyes, she saw frilly dresses and felt a burning hatred towards them. She felt the disapproval of parents, she felt running away to the big city to make something of her- no. Himself. Spiraling down into drugs and alcohol and a girl with a sweet accent, daddy’s money, and no empathy. It crashed and burned and he walked away from it all towards rock bottom and found… nothing. No one to cling to. Until a spark of something new, something wild and incredible flashed and found new friends, new family, and a new life. Flashes of a loud laugh at a place filled with pavement at all angles, a warm apartment where he knew was always welcome in the neighborhood, a gym with a patient and stupidly ripped teacher, a tinkling voice and something surging in the pit of a stomach that he hasn’t truly felt since that girl, and… looking up at the stars (a regular sky, not like this dream’s starry one), the distinct feeling that a friend was always watching over him. 

She saw a man who, after running away from his family, found a new one in the friends he made. She saw a permanent sort of uncertainty, but… a weird confidence in it. Something he invited. 

He was eerily similar to her, minus some religious questioning stuff. 

But she could sense her mind that the guy could see into her, too - not too much, but enough to know her. Know about Kalvaxus, know about how she’s struggled after Helio, know about… her friends. A chill ran up her spine. Was this bad? He didn’t feel bad. And, well, exposing herself to others was kind of her thing now, but this time it was way less funny than that one time she screamed about sex right outside a daycare on accident. 

“... Are you Pete?” Kristen asked hesitantly, recalling the name that the small child (the guy called it Nod?) had told her about earlier, and the guy blanched. 

“No! What? No! My name’s…. Uh… Jeff!” He said immediately after fumbling over his words. No, his name was for sure Pete. She might be dumb, but she wasn’t stupid. “Uh… the moon looks pretty tonight, right?” He continued after a moment, glancing up at her and then back to Kristen. The moon, who at this point was still watching with interest, blushed and cooed. 

“Uh! She’s… nice-looking! But I have a girlfriend so it doesn’t matter!” She said firmly, and the moon giggled in the background. 

“Okay, so she can for sure see the moon. She can see what’s happening, she can see the Unsleeping City. She can see Nod? Fuck, I’m so not the person to handle this. Kingston, maybe…? No, he doesn’t like coming here…” She saw a vision of a man who was maybe in his late sixties or so, with grayish dreadlocks and a warm smile that turned into something sadder whenever he walked in this place, wherever it was. “Rowan’s in Faerie…” A vision of a young and vibrant woman with white hair, a gleaming smile, and a glint in her eyes that never meant anything but fun mischief. “Alejan-” He stopped himself mid-sentence and melancholy washed over him, and suddenly Kristen saw an old, stout man with a bushy mustache, kind eyes, and something small and metal in his palm. Then… he fell into nothingness. Her heart wrenched and her eyes stung with tears despite not knowing who this person was, and this was all too much, no, no, no-

“Stop, please stop-” Kristen gasped and Pete snapped out of his train of thought, surprised and confused. 

“Her connection to you is strong,” The child, Nod, piped up, tugging at Pete’s pants and looking up at him. “I haven’t seen anything like this in a long, long time. You should see Esther when you wake, Pete. Ask her about souls. As for you, Kristen-” She never said her name, how did the child know who she was now? “I am not the Nightmare King. My name is Nod, and I am the spirit of all of the lost children of New York City. I am the ruler of this place. No bad dreams will come to you tonight,” He paused. “Your friends are trying to reach you. You cried out in your sleep. They’re worried. Go back to them, and Pete will find you again when you fall asleep.” He reached out and took her hand, and just like that, she fell backwards and found herself back in the van and out of the safe circle, with all of her party surrounding her with worry on their faces. 

“Kristen!” Tracker breathed with relief, pulling her into a desperate hug that she vaguely could comprehend. All of her friend’s voices overlapped at ones, cries of what happened from Fabian and Riz and choruses of are you okay from Fig and Adaine. Most of all, Gorgug was right there beside her once Tracker leaned away and stared deeply into her eyes for a bit too long. 

“STOP TAKING OVER MY FRIEND!” Gorgug yelled, and Fabian immediately clocked him in the back of the head.

“I’m fine! It’s me! I just… that was such a weird… dream…” Kristen trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing. That felt too real to be a dream, as strange as that sounded. 

“Whoa, wait, were you actually taken over? You didn’t try to kill anyone! Was that just me? I knew I was a danger to everyone!” Fig gasped and Sandra Lynn sighed long and hard, shaking her head as literally the entire group told Fig that no, that’s absolutely not the case. 

“What happened, Kristen?” Adaine asked once the noise died down, and she thought for a moment before replying. 

“Either I just met a new god, or I found a way to not have nightmares.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OhmygodIhaven'twritteninsolongholyshit
> 
> Dimension 20 has gotten me through some really rough times this year and I love it so much that I'm actually posting something (!!!) that's not Haikyuu related content for the first time in,,, ever (!!!!???) so this is wild!
> 
> Ever since I saw that a gimmick of Fantasy High S2 was going to revolve around nightmares, I couldn't help but think about how Pete could for sure help with that since he was the Vox Phantasma and all. Also the thought of Fig and Sofia just existing??? In the same space???? Powerful. Iconic. The world would never be the same.
> 
> I've tried to add in some little hint-hint wink-wink things to feel like things are being rolled in the background in-game, too- like every time it's 'sensing' something, it's supposed to be a perception check or smth lol
> 
> I hope all of you have a lovely day!!!! And if you wanna scream with me about D20 then I'm clefable on the Dropout discord!


	2. Grammercy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your support on the last chapter, you're all so nice!!! Finals are approaching for me and I'm dreading them, but hopefully I can get the next chapter out a bit quicker! Once everything is set up, the story style will switch to more of a one-on-one with the characters. I hope you all are liking it so far, have a lovely day! :)

The glowing had started randomly, for Pete. He was just heading over to Grammercy to meet Esther. After the battle in Times Square, he had taken up… well, not lessons, per se, but she was a powerful caster who was very capable on the field. She was way more strategic than he was. Sure, being spontaneous was kind of his thing with his wild magic and planning stuff in advance really wasn’t his thing, but he blamed that part of himself for Kugrash being gone. He knew that he didn’t force him to eat the bagel and in the end he wasn’t truly dead and gone, but really the whole thing was his fault. He let creatures into the Unsleeping City, he created so many distractions with his fuck-ups that if he had just done something different maybe they would have had more time in the end to find out what the ritual spell was. 

He’s talked to Kingston about it before, and of course he vehemently disagreed. 

“Well, all of us could say that about all of the people we lost. What if we hadn’t brought Alejandro in there, with us? What if Rowan could have had some spell that could bring him back, or would have blown the American Dream back into Nod? What if I had gotten to him just a little faster to Kugrash? Pete, there are thousands of ways that any one of us could have done something different. And yeah, maybe in one of those realities Kug is still with us. But he’s not, and there’s nothing any of us can do about that, no matter how much we all want him here.” He had told him firmly as they both sat on the couch - Kingston had just gotten back from a shift and Pete’s thoughts were being particularly mean to him that night. He was right. Duh, he basically always was. But it wasn’t that easy to just… not think about it. 

So training with Esther helped him think of strategies - just little things he could do if something bad happened. He was determined to not lose any of his new family again. Never again.

He was just opening the door to the library when his chest started to glow a vibrant purple color. In another circumstance, this would be normal. It was the usual color of his magic in its purest form. But he hadn’t cast whatever this was. He didn’t do this. 

“Uh, is this a new fighty thingy you’re teaching me? Because it’s dope as hell if it is,” Pete drawled as he closed the door behind him, noticing that Kingston was there, too. It distracted him from the pinched look that flew onto Esther’s face. “Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital? I thought you had a shift.” 

“No, I don’t have one today- what do you mean, fighty thingy? You’re not doing that?” Kingston replied apprehensively, the smile lines around his eyes disappearing as he glanced down at Pete’s chest. 

“I’m for sure not.” 

“Esther?”

“It’s not me, either.” She confirmed, briskly walking over to him and letting her eyes glow blue as she tried to figure out what this was. 

They went on talking about things that Pete frankly zoned out of, because it was some medical-magic shit that he couldn’t ever really get the hang of. He was definitely paying attention when Nod zipped him out of there, though, and showed him this strange girl floating in the dream realm. It had all happened so fast, he could barely comprehend it all - Nod tended to cut things short. He might be a kid, but he was an incredibly powerful kid who had an impressive flare for the dramatic. So, when the girl - Kristen, he thought to himself - faded from this plane, he was left whirling. 

He had never seen anyone’s memories before - or at least, nothing that intimate. It reminded him of when he saw Kingston’s exhibit. But he saw the adventure they were on right now, saw the fear grip her when she realized that her friend had been taken over by some thing of nightmare and saw how little she could cope with it. Pete had never really believed in God. His parents forcing him to go to church when he was a kid kind of put a damper on the whole ‘this is a fun and genuinely beneficial experience’ when he was dragged there every time kicking and screaming. But that lack of faith was such a hole inside of her. 

It reminded him of how he felt back before he transitioned, when he was five and automatically knew something was wrong but couldn’t find a way to fix it. It was a sense of emptiness and desperation for something, anything to cling onto. 

He didn’t know her. She could be a shadow demon or a monster, and he knew he probably shouldn’t help her, considering that whenever he ‘helped’ it usually led to bugsters in neighborhoods. But something about her… Pete couldn’t help but trust her implicitly. 

So when Nod sent him back and Esther and Kingston looked up from their newly formed pile of books that they were pouring over (to try and find him, apparently), all he could do was sheepishly smile.

“So! There’s someone weird in the dream realm, and I didn’t do anything this time! Probably! Also, Esther, Nod said to look up something about souls.” He started out, and Kingston just put his face in his hands like the poor overworked overstressed man that he was. Bringing them back to look at his hands, he just sighed and shook his head before turning to Pete. Esther, however, sat straight up and gasped, rushing to the shelves and muttering something when Kingston spoke up with a determined exasperation.

“Okay. Okay, tell us exactly what happened, because I-”

“Found it!” Esther cut him off, pointing to a page in an old scroll she had snatched off of the shelf and read it out loud without hesitation. “The force of souls is something with an unfortunate lack of research due to the inability to pass freely through the realm of Dream, to which many planes and realities are connected. After all, most creatures dream in some way, shape, or form, whether it be a hope or a literal dream that comes of sleep. These are the surest connections and the root cause of the theory of souls; every soul that has ever existed is also existent in some other universe or timeline. 

“They are not the same person. They are not ‘made for each other’. But they share core ideals and a deep connection if they were ever to meet. It is theorized that the realm of dreams would bring them together whenever they needed it most, even if they did not know it. Another theory is that souls with a special connection to souls in their own realm tend to also have that same connection in different realms as well. There has only been one recorded case, between a Vox Naturae-” She paused then and looked back at Pete specifically. “Like you, but for nature. And a human cleric from another world. Their parties had similar souls, as well, and it is said that their chests glowed with light when they met. Together they became a powerful force of good when they lent each other strength, but since dream is fickle and hard to both comprehend and control, it wasn’t often that the groups could communicate. More research, if at all possible, should be done by anyone who has the ability to.” 

It was silent for a long time as the thought of it all sank in.

“So what you’re saying is Pete met another version of himself?” Kingston broke the ice with a slight frown, and Esther quickly shook her head. 

“Kind of? It doesn’t seem like a carbon copy sort of thing. I think it’s more of the same soul at birth, but different bodies and ways of upbringing will change certain things about the souls. But essentially, you met you, Pete. Just a different kind of you.” Esther finished, the nerd in her that shone more easily now that she allowed herself more emotions coming through in waves. Her eyes sparkled with the idea of a new study, more knowledge. Plus, c’mon! How cool was this?

“Sick,” He grinned, though he did breathe a sigh of relief. “I was so worried I, like, let out infinite evil onto New York again. But I dunno, she felt… good. Not in a gross way, cause she was like, 16. In a familiar way? Like I could trust her immediately.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves . Tell us what happened - what did she want? Because you said that souls come to each other when they need them most, and unless something’s about to blindside us, things have been pretty good here.” Kingston pointed out, and that’s when Pete remembered. 

“Nod mentioned something about a ‘Nightmare King’ and made it sound like she asked if that’s who the gray baby was, and literally nothing about the name ‘Nightmare King’ sounds too great. When I saw her, I could see bits of her life. I saw her friends getting taken over in their sleep, I think? I- wait,” He thought about that one tiefling girl, the one he had seen get taken over- he had seen flashes of other memories of her, and ohhhh that was weird. “Okay. This might sound crazy, but I swear one of her friends felt like Sofie. Like, the vibes were almost the same. The more I think about it, most of them felt kinda familiar, but I didn’t really think about it until now.” He said with wide eyes as he turned to his friends, turned to Kingston and suddenly saw flashes of a boy with a motorcycle, and eyepatch, and a grin that held such confidence that he had only seen one other time. 

“I think I saw yours too, Kingston. I think I might have seen everyone’s. And if they need help with dreams, and I’m the goddamn Vox Phantasma, what if I can help them? What if I can connect you all?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. First off, I refuse to go down there just because some people’s ‘vibes’ or whatever the young people term is felt familiar. Second off... I don’t know about all this. Don’t get me wrong, I want to help if this is real. But I don’t know these people. You don’t know these people. This could all be a really elaborate trap. What if this ‘Nightmare King’ guy is serious trouble, more trouble than we can handle? This isn’t our problem, Pete.” Kingston chided, sitting up straight to look at him. Of course Kingston liked Pete, trusted Pete. And he of course has gotten so much better at controlling his magic. But sue him for knowing that his friend’s judgement wasn’t always the best. But Pete himself looked hurt by the mere notion of not helping. 

“What? These people might need us! They’re kids, Kingston! Strong kids, yeah, but still! They’re in high school and scared and maybe you don’t trust them, but I do. I thought that would at least be enough for you to try!” He exclaimed passionately. “If they turn out to be some nasty demons, then fine! That’s on me! What else would be new, anyway!” 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that-” He started with a cringe, but Pete cut him off. 

“I don’t care about how you mean it!” He yelled, and Kingston’s face was stricken for a moment before becoming carefully blank as he closed his eyes. Truth was, Kingston liked things how they were. New York wasn’t safe, per se. It never truly was. But there was no big bad that was out to get his people, his friends, his city. Life had returned to normal, and after months of stress and heartache and going going going with rarely any stops, he finally got back that stability. This would be a return to the rush he had tried to convince himself he was too old for, that he told Liz he would try to avoid whenever he could. It was the rush he missed more than anything in the world and he hated himself for missing it. But Pete was right. Whoever Pete’s soul was, they were in danger. He trusted his friend, and if he didn’t at least try to help out these kids, he knew he would regret it in the end. 

“... Then how would you help them? How can we do anything?” He persisted after a few moments, and Esther frowned at that. 

“He has a point, Pete. The text doesn’t say how the souls became more powerful together, it just says that it does.” 

“I can ask Nod. We could all go down to Dream tonight when the train comes and talk to them, see if they know anything. We should tell everyone about this, anyways.” Pete quickly volunteered, and, well. Hard to argue with that. 

“Okay. We go tonight.”


	3. Deals and Diners

Kristen was tense again when she fell asleep, with Tracker and Adaine watching over her nervously. When she woke up that morning, everyone questioned her relentlessly about the things she saw and the people she met - about Nod especially, since the child said that no harm would come to her last night. Adaine had never heard of anything like it, but she had read about a distant realm of dreams with a mysterious ruler who was infinitely young and old at the same time. After a bunch of arguing, paranoia, and desperation, they all agreed that there was no harm in talking to them. She had been in Tracker’s haven the whole time- nothing bad could have gotten in there. And if they somehow turned out to be bad? 

Well. 

They didn’t have many options, and this might guarantee at least a few of them a safe night’s sleep. Especially if they don’t stay in the haven. So Adaine and Tracker volunteered to watch over her while she slept, since Adaine was good at sensing when something was wrong and Boggy was a calming presence. And of course Tracker also volunteered, since she was worried about her. Kristen eventually fell asleep with some unease, but at the same time she couldn’t help the small bit of excitement she felt. 

Pete may have made her feel far too much, but it was way more than she had felt in a while, now. And she couldn’t deny the connection she had with him. 

In like, a non-weird not-romantic kind of way.

This time when she came into something like consciousness, she was in a diner, sitting down with a pie in front of her that looked almost exactly like the kind her mom made during the holidays. She hasn't had it since she got kicked out. Looking up and around, she was definitely back in that dream realm - outside, the snow fell upwards and people bustled in and out with bubbling laughs and magic hearts. But her head whipped around to the door because she felt it. Kristen felt that unmistakable tug on her heartstrings and she knew it had to be Pete. 

Sure enough, he was there in the doorway and their chests brightened in unison. She couldn’t help but smile as he approached, not even noticing that he had brought people with him until they were all sitting down. There was a short, slim woman with elven features, short hair, and a curious gleam in her eyes, a woman with teased shoulder length hair, multicolored eyes, and- whoa this was so weird. She recognized them all from the memories she got from Pete, sure, but these people… she couldn’t explain it, but they felt exactly like her friends. There was an extra seat that the woman with the big hair pulled out, but no one else was with them. It felt a little weird. 

“So you’re Kristen?” An older man asked her, his dark eyes a little more guarded than the rest as he sat down. 

“Yeahhh?” 

“Awesome,” The shorter buffer guy addressed her, a gleaming friendly smile on his face as he nodded. “I’m Ricky Matsui.” 

“Kristen, these are my friends Ricky, Kingston,” The older guy gave her a shorter nod as he gave her a once over. He looked a little more relaxed after he sized her up. “Esther,” A woman who was sitting next to Ricky with a rock aesthetic smiled kindly at her. “Rowan,” The elven woman smiled brilliantly at her and she could feel her cheeks heating up. 

“Lovely to meet you, Kristen.” She crooned, and jeez, even her voice was beautiful. She was so charismatic and pretty and confident and she could tell in a split second that Pete would for sure agree with her thoughts. 

“ and Sofie.” Pete finished as he gestured to the woman with multicolored eyes and yeah, this woman was definitely Fig-like. She had an energy to her that exuded an immense amount of chaos and there was deadass no other way to put it. Her smile split like the cheshire cat and she perked up immediately. 

“Wow, so you’re what Pete is like in your world? That’s crazy! Do you have like, a twin connection? I know these two girls from the neighborhood and-” She rambled with a thick accent that Kristen couldn’t place, but the older guy, Kingston, cut her off (and she pouted as he did). 

“Sof? Another time?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” She grumbled.

“What about Pete and I?” Kristen asked, and the woman, Esther, dutifully filled her in. 

“This is an incredible research opportunity to look into cross-dimension soul relationships, but that’s not the point right now. Pete’s the Vox Phantasma, so it makes sense that you would pop up here of all places. But something’s wrong in your world, isn’t there? You wouldn’t have come this far if there wasn’t.” Esther finished. Wow, that was a lot to take in. But it would definitely explain why she had such a strong connection to Pete. 

“Yeah, there is. Basically, after we killed this big dragon guy on Prom night, someone stole an artifact from our school. The Nightmare King’s crown. We need to find it before someone else does, because we think some people are trying to bring him back. They attack us in our sleep, though - a few of our party members have been taken over when they sleep. My friend Fig almost killed Riz, and Fabian woke up swimming for his life in the middle of the ocean. My girlfriend does a haven spell, but it can’t fit everyone in our group. 

“I’m scared that one day I’ll wake up and they’ll all be dead and I’ll have killed them. Or they’ll all be gone. Or something horrible will happen to them and I can’t do anything about it. But if you have some power over dreams, then maybe you could help? Pete? I mean, I don’t wanna like, pressure you or anything, cause this is super not your problem, but I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” She couldn’t bring herself to be funny right now. This was so important, she couldn’t mess this up. 

The group looked at each other and ultimately looked at Pete, and his eyes were clear and determined. 

“I mean, I can come into people’s dreams, but I mean, I’ve never tried to get other people into someone’s dreams. Nod said that they could make crossing the barriers between universes easier so we could try to get to everyone, but like, it would mean they couldn’t give anyone safe passage. So it’s a sorta ‘I can do this for one person 100 percent or more of you with like 50 percent’. I think it could work, though, if I try.” He answered honestly. 

“I don’t think we can make any guarantees, darling. We’ll try our best, of course, but we don’t know who your friends’ souls are.” Rowan chimed in, and Kristen was unashamedly quiet for a few seconds as she stared at her before shaking herself out of it. 

“Oh! Sorry. Yeah. Yes please. I’d rather have everyone be hopefully okay than just me be for sure okay.” She said without hesitation, and something changed in the older guy’s face. It was more resolute, now. “Wait, what do you mean, you don’t know? Isn’t it all of you?” 

The whole energy changed, now- one of surprise and, to some, delight. Specifically, Sofie immediately lit up and Pete looked proud. 

“I told you!” He said smugly to Kingston, who rolled his eyes before speaking. 

“You think we’re all your friend’s counterparts? You sure?” He asked coolly, more businesslike than anything else. He didn’t seem unfriendly, though. She knew that Fabian acted kind of similar when he was trying to protect the people he cared about. He became more practical and less goofy whenever that happened.

“Of course I’m sure! You’re Fabian, Adaine, Fig, Gorgug, and R-” She suddenly paused as she felt something in the empty chair next to her, the one that Sofie had pulled out. 

“Kug?” Sofie breathed, and for a second she looked like she was going to cry - there was no answer, but she felt a warm presence all around them for a few seconds before it was gone. It… it was crazy, for a split second she thought she saw a huge rat in dirty clothing and galaxy eyes sitting there, but she blinked and he was gone. 

That felt like Riz. She hadn’t realized that there wasn’t a strong presence of Riz there until just then, because it felt like he had been there. She assumed that it was Esther. But whoever that was was definitely him. And he felt immensely powerful. Like, godly levels of power.

“Riz. That was Riz’s soul. Who’s Kug?” Kristen almost immediately regretted asking as Pete’s face crumpled a little bit and she saw memories again of that same rat, but this time with normal eyes. He had a thick accent and was clearly close to all of them - she saw visions of him on the street helping the homeless and slaying enemies and helping his friends selflessly. She saw his sacrifice. She saw him melting away into endless stars, physically gone, and how Pete blamed himself for his death and ohhhh shit the pain was back, this time almost worse than before. Pete immediately noticed and snapped out of it, swearing and quietly apologizing to her, but she mumbled something along the lines of ‘don’t worry about it’ because who the FUCK was that god rat? 

Her new deity sense was tingling.

Now, Kristen could sense that it was hard for him to remain himself, but he focused enough to show himself here, even if it was just for a split second. And from the looks on their faces, Pete and his friends knew that this Kug guy, this weird, tiny little rat man who was at one point a dear friend, wouldn’t have shown up if this wasn’t very important. Suddenly, a voice rang out with a heavy accent and she could tell it was him. 

“Ey guys, they’re good kids. Help ‘em out.”

“Rat God?” Kristen found herself saying, and she heard an omnipresent chuckle and with that, the presence was gone. 

But now, everyone’s chest was glowing except for Esther’s, and a swirl of grimy magic curled out of nowhere to combine with the glowing in their chests to form a strange pendant. Hers matched Pete’s - a gold chain with strange shapes linking them all together until a swirling purple crystal met it in the middle. 

Wear these to bed and they will protect you, was the distinct feeling she had before waking up with a start and she was met with her girlfriend starting not at her, but at Adaine, who was looking down at herself in wonder as a delicate chain of silver and gold around her with a beautiful amber gemstone in the shape of a diamond appeared around her. 

Tracker whipped around when she realized her girlfriend was awake and she smiled brilliantly at her. She immediately knew that Kristen managed to convince them and she was so proud of her; it made Kristen’s heart swell. “Babe, you did it!”

Kristen full-on barrel hugged her, burying her face in her neck, “I wanna make out with you so bad right now,” She whispered vehemently, and Tracker snorted. 

“Yeah, it’s her,” Tracker addressed Adaine before muttering ‘after we update everyone on what happened’ to her girlfriend. But honestly, Kristen was just ecstatic; she did something right this time! She was decisive and successful and instead of the uncertainty she usually felt, now it was replaced by pride. 

They were all going to be okay. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (you guys have no idea how much fun I'm gonna have when I'm writing Riz's chapter) 
> 
> Sorry this took a bit longer! Finals and vacations got in the way, but the next chapter is finally going to start delving into the characters meeting their counterparts! First up will be Adaine and Rowan. 
> 
> I hope you guys are having a great holiday! :)


	4. Confidence Suits You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we get to see these bonded sounds meet! First up, we have Adaine and Rowan. I hope you all enjoy!

Watching Kristen, contrary to popular belief, was really boring. Well, keeping watch was never particularly _fun_ , but still. She just snored really loudly and rustled in her sleep and gave Adaine countless false alarms because of it. Tracker didn’t seem bothered because they slept together every night, so she was used to that sort of thing. But at least the werewolf was good company! It was nice to spend some one-on-one time with her. 

That being said, when Kristen woke up and Adaine looked down to see something beautiful curling around her neck, she normally would have been nervous. But instead, it gave her an overwhelming sense of calm. She didn’t need Kristen to cast Detect Good and Evil to know that this was something she could trust. Was this what it felt like for Kristen when she met whats-his-name? No wonder she was so sure about her dreams being a good sign for once and not an omen of the Nightmare King. Even though she was at least a little enamored by her new piece of jewelry, she still needed to keep her wits about her. Especially since Kristen was an immediate distraction to the normally practical Tracker.

“Should we wait until morning to tell the rest of them? We’ll be interrupting their sleep and their spells might not be rejuvenated enough if we wake them up right now.” Adaine pointed out as she glanced away from the two and shifted with slight discomfort. She wasn’t particularly interested in romance. She’s never even had a crush, as far as she’s aware. Of course, she can tell when people are attractive, but that doesn’t mean she’s _attracted_ to them, if that makes sense. So being around Kristen and Tracker when they were like this made her a little uncomfortable, just because she didn’t really understand it. Plus, Kristen knew she didn’t really like it and teased her about it sometimes. She knew she meant well and was just joking, but it kind of bothered her sometimes. She didn’t know why, though.

She already overanalyzed so much in her life, thought about far too much for far too long. Stand up straight, Adaine. Say hello to them, Adaine, come down and be sociable for once. Why don’t you like spending time with us, Adaine, what’s wrong with you? You’re so quiet. Why can’t you be more like your sister? Boggy suddenly croaked softly on her shoulder and she broke out of her slight stupor, finally noticing that both Kristen and Tracker staring at her expectantly. 

“Adaine? I said you looked like you were gonna throw up, you good?” Kristen was blatant as always, but there was concern in her eyes. She was sure that if she asked her, Kristen would stop teasing her. But she was just trying to be funny and play around, she didn’t want to be so sensitive to ask her to stop. She knew Kristen, knew she cared a lot about her. So it was fine.

“Yeah, fine. I just haven’t tranced yet, I guess. Mind taking the rest of my shift tonight?” She asked softly, and Kristen nodded. 

“Of course, dude. I was, ah, probably gonna stay up anyways. Don’t worry about it.” She said with a wink and a grin and Adaine grimaced slightly, putting up a tight smile. Tracker, to her credit, elbowed her girlfriend and gave Adaine an apologetic look and the elf’s eyes softened. 

It… it was fine. 

“Goodnight.” She called, heading out of the van and into the night air to just… breathe for a while. Exist. The van was nice. Being with her friends was fun. But god, it was exhausting and draining sometimes. Adaine needed free time to balance all of this out, but on the trip, there wasn’t exactly the time or space for that. They were all together all the time. Don’t get her wrong, spending time with them was great! She loved hanging out with them. They were her favorite people. But she just needed a break. At least an hour. It’s part of why she usually volunteered to watch over everyone, it gave her the time to just be alone with her thoughts. And with Boggy, but Boggy didn’t count. 

Soon enough she felt her eyelids grow heavy and she began to trance, calm at first. But she felt something dark and scary approaching her, something bad. A presence. She feels dread curl into her and is reminded of that figure in the corner of her room from before, tiny and malevolent. 

But then it’s whirled away and her mind, for once, twirls into something that’s almost like a dream. Actually, it just might be one - she wouldn’t know, she usually tranced. Whatever it is, suddenly she’s in a lively bar with fae folk all around her, chatting and elegant and bright as they prance around. One woman is at the center of it all, with chunky jewelry, and large hat, and a flowy dress that reminded her of an old movie star. 

Adaine wanted to hate her almost immediately. She was clearly happy being the center of attention, maybe even craved it. She was beautiful and poised. The woman reminded her of her sister. But their eyes met from across the room and she paused, her eyes gleaming and you’ve got to be kidding-

Hiding beneath the layers of jewelry is a matching pendant to her own, and Adaine knows in an instant that this must be her own equivalent to Pete. The woman waved charmingly to those around her and left, gliding through the crowd towards her. She was shorter than Adaine expected and her eyes were bright and warm as she clasped her hands with a smile. 

Suddenly, Adaine could see memories that were not her own, with magic and light and sheer boredom until she stole away with some ‘borrowed’ items and a dream of a city that was as magical to its normal human citizens as it was to the ones who saw underneath it into the Unsleeping City. New York City, the memory breathed, young and vibrant as she leapt off and found the stage she loved over and over again, old or young, finding the place she called home. On the stage, she could be whoever she wanted to be. Nothing was set in stone - she did hate rules so very much. Time and time again, she grew old and young again until her old home came calling and she very much declined, and with flashes of a battle on her new home stage with her friends- no. No, her _family_ was surrounding her as she triumphed and reclaimed her old home, helping to form it into something new, something better all while staying true to herself. 

Adaine instantly felt bad for comparing her to Aelwyn. This woman was like her in aspects, sure, but she was so much kinder and stronger. 

“Adaine, is it?” The woman asked, as if testing the name on her tongue. She looked as though she had felt something similar, both of their minds still whirling slightly. All she could seem to do was nod in reply, but she squinted as she tried to put a name to her face. She knew she had many throughout her lifetime. It took her a second, but she finally came up with one. 

“Rowan?” She replied hesitantly, and Rowan broke out into a smile. 

“Rowan Berry, darling. Pleasure to meet you. I admit, if I knew I was going to meet you so soon, I would have changed my outfit. First impressions and all that. But it’s lovely to finally meet you, Adaine. Not quite what I expected, but that doesn’t matter! You look fantastic. Come on, let’s…” She paused for a moment, her lips pursing together as she leaned closer to Adaine. Adaine instinctively shied away and pulled her hand back - no matter the comfort she felt towards Rowan, she didn’t like people getting so close. 

Something flashed in Rowan’s eyes and she took a step back with a small smile. “Not a party person?” She asked sympathetically, and Adaine stiffened. She… well, she was fine with general parties, or ones where she had her friends with her. But Rowan’s party reminded her of the parties her parents threw, full of ambassadors and elves and people who looked at her like she had three heads. 

“Not… this kind of party.” She admitted, shy and a little ashamed. She hated this, hated disappointing adults, hated being shamed for not enjoying things people ‘were supposed to enjoy’. But Rowan didn’t look disappointed, much to her surprise. 

“Darling, you should have said so! You’re in the sixth borough, you’re in Nod! This is the realm of dreams. You can imagine whatever you want, and it’ll be here. This is what I imagined, but you can choose what you imagine. Where do you want to be for tonight?” She asked, spreading her hands out widely and twirling around the space before taking her hand and leading her out of the bar. “Just follow your heart and you’ll find it. Don’t worry, I can keep up.” Rowan winked and she felt her cheeks blush in embarrassment. Oh no, no no no, this meant making decisions and having opinions. This was someone new and important and if she took her to somewhere stupid or boring she would definitely hate her and-

Boggy suddenly croaked on her shoulder and she sighed softly as Rowan lit up and cooed over the tiny frog. 

“What a cute little familiar! What’s its name?” She asked, and Adaine could feel herself slowly relax. She could talk about Boggy, because Boggy was the best. But she frowned a little bit. 

“Boggariel Froggariel. Boggy the Froggy, or just Boggy for short. You… don’t think he’s weird? Or gross?” She prodded- most people at least questioned why she took a frog as a familiar, of all things. Especially when she explained that he doubled as an emotional support animal. Most people choose cats or dogs or fluffy things. And she liked those animals, sure! But frogs were cute and sweet and she had always felt an affinity towards them, and she couldn’t be happier with her precious little round boy. 

“Why would I? He’s a handsome little man!” She exclaimed, stroking Boggy’s chin delicately as her frog visibly relaxed. He puffed up and croaked, leaning into her hand and nuzzling it slightly. Well, if Boggy was okay with her, then maybe she should try to be, too. She trusted his judgement. And with a little croak her way, she calmed herself and looked around them, walking the streets with Rowan walking behind her in spurts of comfortable silence mingled with her commentary or anecdotes about the city itself. 

She found herself stopped in front of a department store after a few minutes and she found it calling out to her. Adaine still loved her jacket of useful things and wore it constantly, but the arcane t-shirt she bought was just one t-shirt. She couldn’t wear it every day, y’know? That’d be gross. So she’s been meaning to go shop for a few more shirts, maybe some new boots too. 

Rowan absolutely lit up when they she stopped in front of there. “My kind of girl! Shopping will never fix everything, but it’s at least a step in the right direction, don’t you think?” 

“I guess so. I don’t need anything fancy, maybe just a few more shirts.” She hedged as they walked into the store, which was filled to the brim with magical bits and bobs and little fae lights that floated around the shop. It looked like a rather normal department store, as far as Adaine was concerned - white tile floors, immaculate displays, racks and shelves with clothes stacked onto each other. 

Rowan seemed to immediately make herself at home, making a happy little noise as she walked with a purpose around the shelves and circling the clothing racks like a shark. And as much as Adaine admired her confidence, she couldn’t help but be a little amused. It reminded her of how she was like in the library, with information surrounding her on all corners. So even if this wasn’t really her scene, she could tell that Rowan knew her purpose. And Adaine was in no mood to stop her. Those golden eyes suddenly gave her a long once over and now she was the one being circled with a critical eye. 

“You’re so lovely - very nice proportions, short, but not too short. I’m sure you could pull off a dress, but that doesn’t seem like your style.” She mused, and Adaine sighed in relief. That was the one thing she was worried about. 

“I’m not a huge fan unless it’s a special occasion. I think that jeans are just more practical when you’re adventuring unless you have leggings with a skirt, and those are basically just stretchy jeans without pockets.” She said, and Rowan nodded in agreement. 

“I agree. I prefer a bit of flair myself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix something with a little pizzaz in with your practicality! I think that the necklace suits you nicely and-” She took a moment and eyed her jacket, lighting up when she met her gaze again. “What a beautiful coat! Rather useful too, so I’m assuming you want to keep it. Jeans are jeans, unless you want something a little more high waisted, it does _wonders_ for the self-esteem, believe me. So. Tops? Is that what you’re looking for today?” 

Adaine nodded, and Rowan immediately got to work as she took her hand and led her around the shelves and asked her for her opinions - did she like this shiny top (no, a bit too much), was she open to crop tops (if she was feeling adventurous maybe, but she would prefer longer ones with high waisted jeans if she did that), and what colors did she like vs what she wanted to avoid (no oranges, maybe greens and blues). She was really thorough about it. 

When she first saw her, Adaine really wondered how it was that their souls were apparently the same. Externally, there wasn’t much similar about them other than the fact that they were both blond and short; Rowan was so poised and confident in every way, incredibly social and vibrant. She would never use those words to describe herself, except for maybe poised. But now when she looked closer past the flair and drama, she saw a raw intellect that glimmered there. While Adaine was more traditional and gained her knowledge from books, Rowan got information with her charm and her wits. And just as Adaine was at home in any library, Rowan made herself at home on the stage and, apparently, in shopping centers. 

Above all else, she saw the desire to better herself in Rowan, and she couldn’t help but realize that the same desire was always deep within herself. Maybe they really were the same soul.

“What about something like this? You could tuck it into your jeans and it would show off your waist nicely.” Rowan chirped, bringing her attention back to the clothes she had found - a large emerald green t-shirt that reminded her a bit of Boggy’s colors. The ends of the sleeves and collar had a white stripe around them and Adaine was surprised at how much she liked it. 

“This doesn’t have much ‘pizzaz’.” She said slowly as she gingerly took it from Rowan’s outstretched hand. 

“The pizzaz is in the enchantment, darling! Makes you just a titch harder to hit, which is always nice. And I do think that the necklace is enough to compliment it. Putting you in sparkles isn’t in my agenda today, unless you really want to impress some boys.” Rowan hummed playfully. 

Adaine immediately made a face and Rowan’s head tilted a little bit. 

“Girls?” 

A head shake. 

“People?” 

“Even worse.” 

Rowan’s eyebrows shot up. “Animals?”

“NO,” Adaine immediately replied, mildly horrified at the suggestion. She wasn’t Principal Aguefort, come on! “I don’t know, really. I haven’t ever felt anything romantic. Or at least, not in the way that my friends described it.” Rowan paused for a moment, thinking about something; she piped up again after a little bit. 

“How would you describe it, then?” 

Huh. 

How would Adaine describe a crush, without ever having one? 

“Uhm… Feeling a little anxious around them, but maybe in a good way? Just feeling warm and nice and wanting to spend more time with them. But I feel that way towards all my friends, and I certainly don’t like them all like that. So I think it’s supposed to be different, but I don’t know what that difference is yet.” She replied honestly, chewing on her lip absently as she contemplated. Her friends thought she liked Zayn, but she wasn’t sure about that. He was nice and all, but that social pressure confused her into ‘liking’ him for a bit. It made things a little awkward for a week or so before she talked to him about it and they came down to the answer that neither of them liked each other in a way that wasn’t as friends, and that was perfectly fine. 

“Do you want to know the difference?” Rowan continued, and Adaine frowned slightly. 

“I mean… not necessarily? Being in a relationship with someone sounds nice and all, but I don’t actively want one. Fig and Fabian seem so attached to the idea of getting a girlfriend or boyfriend or whoever and I can’t really understand wanting it that badly. Knowing the difference would be good in general, but I don’t need it and I don’t really want it, either. I have my new family now, and for me that’s more than enough.” She was getting a little anxious, now. Adaine had never explicitly told anyone this, not even her friends. The fact that Rowan knew was kind of terrifying to her. But the way that she softly smiled calmed some of her nerves. 

(Rowan melted a little bit at that last part, because part of her said it was naive. As an elf, most friends died or left or grew apart and left her alone on her bright stage, and that used to be just fine. Her adoring fans made up for what she lacked. But with her new friends, she hadn’t found herself craving attention as much or actively seeking out new lovers, because she wasn’t bored or melancholy when she was alone. She had Sofie to gossip with, Ricky endlessly amused her, Kingston was with her through it all, she could still feel Kugrash’s presence watching over her, and Pete was… himself. And that was enough. They were enough. Maybe she had grown to acquire a new family. It was a bit strange to be realizing that just now, but even still, calling them family felt more right than anything she had ever called them.)

“Then that’s perfectly fine! Sexuality is on a spectrum and it can change at any time. Change every day! Don’t change at all! Go somewhere in between! Maybe someday you’ll feel the difference between platonic and romantic relationships and maybe you won’t. It’s your life, so do whatever makes you happy! Either way, you can live a long and happy life surrounded by the people you love.” Rowan finished as she threw out her arms and gestured dramatically as she spoke. Adaine couldn’t help but smile and nod. 

“You know what? You’re right. Just because my friends are all horny teenagers doesn’t mean I have to be, too.” Adaine said firmly, and Rowan let out a bright laugh. 

“Wonderful! Confidence suits you, darling. I hope you’ll wear it more often.” Rowan said coyly, and a shy smile curved onto her lips. 

“I think I like it, too,” Adaine agreed, and suddenly her body began to softly glow. Rowan frowned a little bit and let out a sigh. 

“I think it might be time for you to go, dear.” Rowan said mournfully, and Adaine’s face fell. 

“I don’t want to go yet,” Adaine blurted and she surprised even herself. Yeah… yeah! She didn’t want to go yet! She wanted to stay and talk more with Rowan! She hadn’t even asked her about tips on being a little more confident, or how to deal with people like her sister, or about Rowan herself! She wanted more time! If only she still had the power of chronomancy.

“Oh Adaine, I don’t want to either. You’re such a sweet little thing! I can’t promise it’ll be soon, but if nightmares come to threaten you as you trance, I can promise that I’ll be there. And take the shirt, I’ll pay for it. Now get out there and make me proud, hm?” Rowan said with a wink, taking her hands and squeezing them one last time as Adaine started to float up into the air with Boggy and, in a flash of light, Rowan was gone and Boggy was croaking softly on her shoulder, almost like snoring. 

She never dreamed, but that… that felt like one. Was Rowan real? Did she just hallucinate all of that? 

She answered herself before she could even spiral deeper into that thought, because her crystalline necklace was warm on her chest, as if it had just been used, and lying next to her was an emerald green shirt with a tiny fairy design on the top right of it, neatly folded and just as real as it felt. Adaine immediately put it on with a smile, pulling the fabric close for a moment as words echoed through her - Confidence suits you, darling, wear it more often. 

With this, she just might.

**Author's Note:**

> OhmygodIhaven'twritteninsolongholyshit
> 
> Dimension 20 has gotten me through some really rough times this year and I love it so much that I'm actually posting something (!!!) that's not Haikyuu related content for the first time in,,, ever (!!!!???) so this is wild!
> 
> Ever since I saw that a gimmick of Fantasy High S2 was going to revolve around nightmares, I couldn't help but think about how Pete could for sure help with that since he was the Vox Phantasma and all. Also the thought of Fig and Sofia just existing??? In the same space???? Powerful. Iconic. The world would never be the same.
> 
> I've tried to add in some little hint-hint wink-wink things to feel like things are being rolled in the background in-game, too- like every time it's 'sensing' something, it's supposed to be a perception check or smth lol
> 
> I hope all of you have a lovely day!!!! And if you wanna scream with me about D20 then I'm clefable on the Dropout discord!


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